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Telemark - Some gear hesitations ! (Rossignol B1 / BC125)

post #1 of 3
2/13/12 at 6:00pm
Thread Starter 

 

Hello !
 
First of all, please excuse my english and the not so precise words I'm gonna use. English is my second language. Please don't use too many abbreviations(or explain them) ;-) !
 
As the title says, I'm a beginner in tele skiing. Not on slopes though. I skied from age 3 to 12, rode an alpine (race) snowboard till 17, then Skwal (www.skwalzone.org for info on that kind of board). I'm 5'11, 165lbs.
 
I want to start telemark for different reasons : 
1. Polyvalence : Skwal is (to me) the best carving machine. But that's about it. Some ride a skwal in pow conditions. I don't. I want to be able to carve on my tele, but also spend some time on the slopes with my (too slow for my skwal) ski/snow friends. 
2. Touring / backcountry : This is something that'll be new to me. 
 
Where I live now (Québec City, QC, Canada) we have some great areas to tour. The resorts are small, but decent. Further from my city, backcountry options begin to be interesting. Just so you know about the climate it's cold (-5°F to 15°F). Snow is often quite dry although it may get wet also !
 
I've tele skied 2 1/2 days so far, with different, DH oriented, rented, setups. 
 
A colleague almost gave me a pair of 170cm Rossi B1 with Black Diamond O2 he had bought few years ago (for a still unknown reason). I recently bought (online, can't wait to get them) a pair of Scarpa T2X. So that's what my setup is right now. 
 
FIRST BATCH OF QUESTIONS : 
What do you think of that gear ? 
How well is that going to ride on groomers ? 
Will I be able to take them for some backcountry / touring ? 
 
Secondly, I'v came across someone that has a pair of brand new 175cm Rossignol BC 125 with (not yet mounted) Rottefella Chili bindings. He sells them around $200 (which I think is a decent price, right ?) : 
 
SECOND BATCH OF QUESTIONS :
How would this setup compare to the 170 B1 off-piste and on groomers ? I've read some contradicting reviews about the BC125 on-piste…
Are the Scarpa T2X too stiff / big for the rottefella chili ?
Overall, would I be able to use the BC125 as a all around ski ? 
Or should I better wait to improve my skills and buy some skins for the B1 ?
 
I hope my two batches of questions won't seem like asking too much… and that you'll be able to help me on my quest !
 
Thanks !
Pete.
 
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post #2 of 3
2/14/12 at 7:33pm

Some things to think about; I skied telemark only for about 20+ years, now I ski AT (and Alpine/downhill).  Touring and climbing efficiency requires a relatively friction free pivot (a 'touring" mode and a lock-down toe), so, since you starting fresh, make sure you get one of those (I use Voile Switchbacks for tele with plastic boots and 3-pins with light weight boots).  But no tele setup can compare to Dynafit AT bindings for the up.  I spent years trying to prove waxless skis could climb well.  Well, every waxless ski I have also has skins.  Waxless skis can't compare to tele/AT skis on the downhill.  I still use a karhu guide (waxless, I used them today) with Dynafit Radical Speed binding for Nordic ski patrol--they kick and glide as well as any tele setup (but not as well as NNN-BC or SNS-BC on groomed trails); my Dynafit TLT5 boots are substantially lighter and with removable tongues, so much easier climbing than any plastic tele boot.  So in addition to a free-pivot binding, if you plan to climb and ski slopes above 15 degrees, particularly with ice or crust or fine powder, I suggest you get a good tele/AT ski, geared to your weight and the kind of skiing you wish to do (I have AT skis that are 76, 80, and 98 mm at the waist and use the latter almost all the time--except in corn snow--in the bc).  The T2X is a fine boot and should handle any ski you would choose; it might overpower a waxless ski and it might be underpowered for some 100+ mm tele/AT skis.  If you ski bc with any sort of relief you will need skins.  If you buy a decent free pivot/lock down tele binding and tele/AT skis you can have lots of fun skiing the groomers from green to double black with the T2Xs if you have the skill.  Many waxless skis are too light and too easily deflected for heavy duty skiing.

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post #3 of 3
2/18/12 at 10:36am
Thread Starter 

Thanks a lot for you advice. I still haven't made my mind up about the BC125... I'm always skeptic about anything claimed hybrid, however, some reviews make them interesting to me.

 

About the pivot free binding : I'm aware of that, but thanks for mentionning it again. I keep looking for a good deal on switchbacks or O1...

 

Pete.


Edited by Petesk - 2/18/12 at 10:52am
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